The invention relates to a top-pan scale with a scale pan, which is supported on at least one force transducer of a force measurement system, and with a corner load sensor that outputs a signal if the weighing goods are positioned eccentrically on the weighing scale.
Scales of this type are disclosed, for example, in German publications DE 30 03 862 C2 and DE 38 11 942 C2, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated into this application by reference.
A disadvantage of these known scales is that the corner load sensor is integrated into the force transducer or a bottom pan. As a result, a specific configuration of the corner load sensor is necessary for each scale type, and retrofitting existing scales is either not possible at all or only at significant costs.
Retrofitting a scale with a corner load sensor was one object of German Publication DE 299 18 562 U1, the complete disclosure of which is also incorporated into this application by reference. In this publication, at least two force measurement sensors that are spaced at a distance from each other and from the center of the scale pan are provided on the scale pan, along with means for shifting the center of gravity of the weighing goods and the scale pan. However, this shifting of the weighing goods requires either the assistance of the operator or a complex mechanism that is prone to faults (especially if loads are heavy) and lengthens the measurement time. With regard to the specific design of the corner load sensors, DE 299 18 562 U1 furthermore only states that the corner load sensors measure, for example, the elastic deformation of the scale pan or the elastic deformation of the bottom pan by means of strain gauges, for example. Using the scale pan or the bottom pan as the elastic element of the corner load sensor makes the corner load sensor again dependent on the design of the scale pan or the bottom pan, so that the retrofitting goal is achieved only to a very limited extent.